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R4118
'' |image= |caption= |designation=Hawker Hurricane |version=Mk I |c/n= |firstflight=17 August 1940 |lastflight= |featuredin=''Spitfire (2018 documentary)'' |fate= }} History Delivered new to 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron at Drem on 17 August 1940, R4118 flew 49 sorties from Croydon and shot down five enemy aircraft. After being battle damaged on 22 October 1940, the aircraft was rebuilt and taken on charge by 111 Squadron at Dyce on 18 January 1941. There it was flown on patrol over the North Sea and was again in combat. Over the following two years it was used primarily as a training aircraft with 59 and 56 OTUs, and was rebuilt a further three times following major accidents, including hitting a lorry on the runway and being stuffed into a snowbank! In December 1943, R4118 was crated at Cardiff and shipped to India as a training aircraft. However it was never needed and remained in its packing case in Bombay until 1947 when it was struck off charge and donated to a university for engineering instruction. The fuselage was stood outside in a compound with the propeller, wings and tailplane laid on the ground. There it remained, exposed to the elements and ignored by the world, until 1996, when retired businessman and restoration enthusiast Peter Vacher began his remarkable quest to bring R4118 home.http://www.hurricaneheritage.com/about/ After six years of negotiations by Peter Vacher to ship R4118 home from India, the airframe was safely delivered to Hawker Restorations in Suffolk in June 2001. Considering that it had stood outside in India for 54 years, suffering the annual monsoons, it was still in remarkable condition. The centre section steel spars had to be replaced, along with the wing spars. Most aluminium parts were reused, as well as the internal wing structures. The hydraulic and fuel systems were preserved intact. Original electrical components and instruments were sourced. Meticulous attention was paid to make sure R4118 was restored to a condition exactly as it had been flown in the Battle of Britain. Even the original VHF radio and Identification Friend or Foe equipment were found. The original Browning .303 machine guns were reconditioned before being de-activated and refitted. The airframe was covered in original Irish linen and painted by Vintage Fabrics. The early Merlin III engine was rebuilt by Maurice Hammond. The Rotol propeller was constructed by Skycraft and included new original-type wooden blades. During the rebuild, every component was subjected to the rigorous demands of the Civil Aviation Authority, ensuring maximum safety and durability. The first test flight was made from Cambridge Airport on December 23 2004, with Pete Kynsey, Chief Pilot from The Fighter Collection at Duxford, at the controls. Air traffic gave clearance, the Merlin engine roared and for the first time in 60 years, R4118 was airborne. After 25 minute flight, the plane came in for a text book landing and Pete pronounced that all was well. Three weeks later on January 13 2005, R4118 made its official launch flight, in front of an invited audience including families of WWII pilots Peter Thompson, Denis Winton, Walter Churchill and Alec Ingle. Also in attendance for this historical flight was Bob Foster, who had flown nine operational sorties in R4118. Asked later about that day, Bob Foster commented: “When Peter first called me up and said he had discovered one of my old Hurricanes I thought it was a wind-up. It really is unbelievable that, almost 65 years after the events of 1940, I have had the privilege of sitting in old R4118 again.” Almost a decade after completing the restoration of R4118 – and after many years of taking the plane to airshows, displays and of course the Battle of Britain 75th year memorial events, Peter Vacher decided to put R4118 up for sale, to focus on other projects. On September 29th 2015 – two weeks after Battle of Britain Day – Hurricane Heritage took ownership of the aircraft and R4118 was moved to its new home at Old Warden Aerodrome in early October.http://www.hurricaneheritage.com/about/restoration/ Sources Category:Hawker Hurricane